How to Make a Fabulous Fresh Fruit Cake

Want an impressive looking cake that's not only healthy but also requires zero baking
? These fresh fruit "cakes" are just the thing — perfect for summer birthdays and outdoor cookouts!

Watermelon and Mango with blueberries and strawberries. The strawberries on the top are held in place with toothpicks.

The first question I ask my children as their birthdays approach is not, what do you want for your birthday? But, rather, what do you want to EAT for your birthday. It is one of the rare times where I take in all of their feedback and create a meal that suits their tastes. Usually pizza, macaroni and cheese and cake are involved which none of us mind one bit. So then you can imagine my surprise when my birthday boy requested watermelon and peaches for his birthday dessert.

Oddly enough my initial reaction wasn’t pride that my soon-to-be 6 year old was making such a healthy choice, instead I was a bit sad that I wouldn’t be making a towering cake.

So with his desire for fruit and my desire to make a show-stopping cake, our fresh fruit cakes were invented. I got the towering cake I so wanted and he got a stunning multi-tiered array of fresh fruit. To my surprise everyone at the party was thrilled. They ate with their hands and ripped into that cake with the same enthusiasm you would expect from a sugar-filled cake.

There is not really a recipe for these cakes, in fact your only limit is your imagination. You can make them in all sorts of sizes depending on the fruit you choose.

The cantaloupe will have a hollow center. Here I filled with with a few strawberries and capped it with blueberries. It makes for a fun surprise when you cut into it.

The “cake” layers should be made from a fruit that is sturdy, round, and can be cut all the way through. Watermelon is a great choice as is creates a large and substantial looking cake. Oranges and grapefruits make sweet little individual cakes.

For the “frosting” layers chose a fruit that can be cut into thin strips or pieces; peaches, strawberries, mango, kiwi, nectarine, apples (add a squeeze of lemon to keep them from browning), pineapple, etc.

Finally, to top it all off I like to finish the cakes with a bit more fruit that act like sprinkles. Pomegranate seeds, blueberries, raspberries, currants, etc.

Be sure to have plenty of toothpicks and/or bamboo skewers on hand. This is what keeps the layers together and keeps the slippery fruit in place.

Watermelon and peach fresh fruit cake

Ingredients

1 small watermelon (for a 6 to 8-inch cake)

2-3 peaches, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh blueberries

Note: The size of your cake depends on the size of your watermelon.

Step 1:

Cut four 3/4 to 1-inch layers and ran a knife just on the inside of the rind. Stack the layers on top of each other and trim up the edges to make sure they are the same size.

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When baking cookies, it's important to chill — literally. Taking the time to chill your dough is the critical step that results in perfectly gooey on the inside, crispy on the outside cookies. But if that's not enough to convince you, here are more reasons why you definitely shouldn't skip that fridge time.

If you're looking for a quick, easy recipe that tastes oh-so-good, you'll go bananas for this one. These simple treats only have five ingredients, but they don't skimp on flavor or crunch. Plus, it's the perfect use for any overripe bananas you have lying around — a great alternative when you're not in the mood for yet another loaf of banana bread.

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Round up the kids and head to the kitchen because it's baking time! Now that Dreamworks' Trolls World Tour is streaming, there's no better time to go all-out with a burst of color on movie night. Whip up a batch of colorful rainbow-frosted cupcakes and your little trolls will love digging in as soon as you press play.

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Fact: everything's cooler when it glows in the dark, especially when it comes to sweets. But you don't have to limit yourself to glow-in-the-dark buttercream or slime cake — now you can bring the fun to your breakfast with "glonuts."

Hearty, subtly spicy and topped with cream cheese frosting: there is so much to love about carrot cake. And while it's an Easter staple, you definitely don't need to save it for the holiday — especially when it's this easy to bake.

Despite their New England-centric name, Boston cream donuts are beloved worldwide. It's easy to see why: the fluffy donut is filled with a rich, creamy custard and topped with chocolate glaze, so it's the perfect dessert — or, let's be real, breakfast. And while the store-bought versions are delicious, they can't compare to ones you bake in your own kitchen.

Whether it's rainy, snowy or just a plain 'ol Tuesday, you don't need an open fire to make gooey s'mores goodness. In fact, you don't even need an oven — these no-bake bars can be made completely indoors as an easy family treat.

The filling gets all the love, but a pie crust can make or break your dessert. If it's too tough, it just doesn't work with the soft inside. And if it's too chewy, forget it. But nailing the perfect pie crust isn't a huge undertaking — if you follow these steps, you'll crush it every time.

You know that horrifying feeling when you're halfway through a recipe that calls for milk and realize, uhh, there's no milk in the fridge? Yeah, we've all been there. But there are dairy and non-dairy alternatives that will do the trick without anyone knowing the difference. Be sure to keep some on hand at all times — you never know when you might need 'em.